More than 550 top level executives, industry thought leaders and key regulators have gathered in Bahrain for the 11th annual edition of the Middle East Insurance Forum (MEIF) which gets underway today (February 3).

Being held under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the two-day event is set to see high-profile discussions focused on strengthening the regional insurance industry, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The event will see participation from 200 leading global organisations and more than 50 international speakers.

An innovation at MEIF 2015 will be the launch of InsureTech @ MEIF 2015 - a new insurance technology summit that will be added to the core event.

InsureTech will bring together chief executives, chief information officers, chief technology officers, and IT heads of major insurance companies, reinsurers and brokers.

The summit will provide a great platform for the technology leaders within major insurance players to come together to harness the role of IT in improving their business success as well as understand how future trends in technology will impact their company.

The forum will also feature a special awards ceremony that will recognise excellence, innovation and pioneering initiatives in the regional insurance industry.

“The Middle East continues to be one of the most dynamic and attractive insurance markets in the world,” Middle East Insurance Forum chief executive David McLean said.

“For this growth momentum in the industry to be continued in the long term requires leading players in the industry to concentrate on technical and operational profitability.

“They should also address issues of rising competition and pricing challenges, explore new opportunities in speciality lines, shift towards risk adequate pricing, and adopt international best practices,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service